Oceanside’s giant oarfish was carrying hundreds of thousands of eggs

The 14-foot oarfish that washed ashore in Oceanside last fish was dissected Oct. 21, 2013, at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography where marine biologists found a healthy female ripe to spawn: Her 6-foot-long ovaries contained hundreds of thousands of eggs. (AP Photo/Mark Bussey)

LOS ANGELES — A 14-foot oarfish that washed ashore in Southern California last week was ready to become a mommy.

The serpent-like fish was dissected Monday. H.J. Walker of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography says marine biologists found the healthy female was ripe to spawn: Its 6-foot-long ovaries contained hundreds of thousands of eggs.

Walker says the fish had lost its tail somehow while alive and it had disc-shaped wounds from cookiecutter sharks, but those injuries weren’t deadly.

In fact, it’s unclear why the creature died, although Walker says it’s possible the deep-water fish came too near the surface and the waves.

The oarfish was found Friday in Oceanside — five days after an 18-foot oarfish was discovered off of Catalina Island.